Thursday, 22 August 2013

The Leach Pottery and Fine Art Communications are sponsoring the first Cornwall Ceramics Trail to take place between September 14th and 28th 2013. For two weeks in September 2013, potters and ceramicists across West Cornwall have joined together to offer this special opportunity, inviting the public into their workplaces to meet them, watch them at work and buy pots direct from the maker. A downloadable map will be available in the next few days from the Leach Pottery website but in the meantime details of the participating potters can be found on the CCT blog http://cornwallceramicstrail.blogspot.co.uk/ or on their Facebook group page - Cornwall Ceramics Trail

Friday, 9 August 2013

In August the Leach Pottery welcomes back former apprentice, Glenn Lewis from Vancouver, for the first of the pottery’s international
residencies for 2013.

Lewis was apprenticed at the
Leach Pottery in St Ives between 1961 and 1963, inspired by a friend from art
school, John Reeve, who had arrived back in Vancouver from Cornwall with
stories of his own time at the Leach Pottery. Lewis, who had graduated in
painting and ceramics from the University of British Columbia, worked in the St.
Ives studio under the direction of William Marshall and alongside Kenneth
Quick, John Leach and Nirmala Patwarden, producing the workshop’s handmade
standard ware pottery. These two years was also a time for aesthetic and
spiritual growth under the mentorship of Bernard and Janet Leach.

At the end of
this period, John Reeve returned to England, and along with Warren MacKenzie,
Reeve and Lewis bought an ancient house and barns in Devon, and built a pottery
workshop there called Longlands, where they began producing their own pots in
1964. Shortly after setting up Longlands, Lewis returned to Canada, teaching in
the University of British Columbia Education Faculty and exhibiting in
Vancouver and Toronto. His work moved towards sculptural pieces and he was
awarded grants to allow him to continue his experimental and innovative work.

Glenn
Lewis is resident at the Leach Pottery between August 24th and September
6th. During
his two weeks at the Leach Pottery this summer he will be making pots in the
old pottery workshop where visitors will be able to watch him working and
making pots, and talk meet about his memories of being an apprentice there
fifty years ago.

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Preparations are well under way now in the studio for the Cornwall Design Fair which opens on August 16th at Trereife House, near Newlyn. The Leach Pottery has taken a whole marquee for the three days of the event and will be holding demonstrations and taster sessions as well as raku firings and of course selling our pots. The opening times are Friday & Saturday 11am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 4pm. Tickets £6, under 16s FREE. Do try and join us there.
For more information visit www.cornwalldesignfair.co.uk

Friday, 2 August 2013

A reminder to anyone who hasn't seen it yet that we are showcasing the personal work of Leach production potter, Britta Wengeler in the shop until the end of August. Britta Wengeler, who is from Germany, has been making our tableware since 2012 and is currently on maternity leave from the studio.

After finishing her training in Germany 2009, she travelled for three years through France, Germany, New Zealand and England to learn more about different techniques and cultural aspects of ceramics. Especially, her time with New Zealand potter Petra Meyboden and her time in France had a strong influence on her work.

Britta loves cooking and the simple things of daily living. It is important to her that she produces work that is beautiful and a pleasure to use. Britta therefore produces a range of table and kitchen ware that is functional yet playful, while being rooted within the formal language of traditional European pottery. The pots are all produced at the Leach Pottery, decorated with stamps and glazes then fired under reduction in a gas kiln to 1300°C.

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

We have just managed to get our hands on a number of Bernard Leach lithos by the Curwen Studio which we are selling, unframed, at £400 each (plus postage). These are very rare and I think this batch is the last lot that are likely to be available - you will find them occasionally coming up at auction but not often. We have Black Jar, Tree of Life, Lion Tile, and Fish Vase:

DESCRIPTION

Bernard Leach(1887‑1979) lithograph on paper, produced after Bernard Leach (in his 90's) visited the Curwen Studio encouraged by Janet leach and Barbara Hepworth . Leach worked with Stanley Jones to produce these stunning lithographs which are all signed and numbered in pencil by Leach himself. With failing eyesight, these few lithographic works represent possibly his last creative acts. The prints are in fabulous condition, having never been previously framed and stored in gallery archives. Copies were presented by Curwen Studio through the Institute of Contemporary Prints to the Tate Gallery Collection in 1975.

If you are interested in buying one please contact me on julia@leachpottery.com or phone 01736 799703 - we can take credit card or cheque but numbers are very limited.

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About Me

I have been the Director of the Leach Pottery in St Ives since it reopened to the public in 2008, following its restoration. I am also a PhD research student at Falmouth University and my thesis is on the pottery partnership of Harry and May Davis. Between all that I am a facilitator with the Clore Leadership Programme, working on their Short Courses and Board Development programme.